Love Hurts
by fanficfreak2000
Summary: Maria Merryweather's father just died, and she is sent to live in Moonacre Valley with her uncle, Sir. Benjamin. In this strange place, anything can happen, but what Maria never suspected would find her is love. Especially with the bird boy, Robin DeNoir.
1. Chapter 1

Gone. He was gone. My dear father, dead, just like that. We used to be close, before he started that stupid gambling addiction. He slowly drifted away from me, I never saw him anymore. I became closer and closer to my nanny, Ms. Heliotrope, who seemed to be the only person there for me. I lived for years without my father, and one day a man walks up to my front door, and tells me that he had been killed in a gambling accident.

"Maria," called Ms. Heliotrope, ripping me away from my thoughts, "come here child." But my feet stayed planted by my father's grave. Instead, I look up by the pillars and see a boy, fifteen maybe, leaning against one. He was dressed in all black with a red feather collar around his neck. We held eachother's stare. He had to be one of the most beautiful boys I have ever seen. Warm brown eyes and cute brown curly hair sticking out from under his black bowler hat. I smiled, he grinned back.

"Maria!" Called Ms. Heliotrope, "We need to go get your inhereritance from the lawyer!"

"Coming Ms. Heliotrope!" I replied. Before i left, i place a red rose on my father's coffin, and a white one on my mother's.

"I guess I'm an orphan now." I sighed sadly. I looked back at the pillars, trying to find the boy, but he was gone. It was almost as if he vanished into thin air.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Hey guys! Im totally new to this so dont be too hard on me. Wow I wonder if people still read secret of moonacre fanfics... Anywaysss this will most likely be like my dream romance, but with Robin/Maria kinda thing. You know, they're both too shy to tell eachother blah blah blah. The romance part probably wont come until the third chapter, since Maria gets to moonacre becore she meets anyway, enjoy!**

—

Maria POV:

"H-h-he lost it all? Including the house?" Ms. Heliotrope stammered,

"Mhm" the lawyer replied. I was sobbing like crazy.

"No,no!" I breathed, "Papa can't have been in London! He wrote to me himself, he wouldn't just arrive and not..."

"Well, he did leave this book as your inheritance." The book was really dusty. I reached out to take it from him, but instead he handed it to Ms. Heliotrope. Wow. That annoyed me. Ms. Heliotrope gave the book to me with an expression on her face that was sad, shocked, and confused all at the same time.

"'Chronicles of Moonacre Valley" I read. How strange. Why would papa leave me a book?

"Well, it's time for us to leave now, my dear. " said . We left the office quickly, there was no way I was going to sit one more second with that arrogant man.

"Ms. Heliotrope, where am I going to stay now?"

" Well Maria, you will stay with your Uncle, Sir. Benjamin . He lives in the c-c-c... Oh Maria i can't even say "c-countryside" without being worried for you!"

"_Countryside?!_ How could I stay in that horrid place! You know, I've heard stories of monsters and trolls that live there!" Ms. Heliotrope shrieked and started crying all over again.

" Oh, Maria" Ms. Heliotrope sobbed, " When your dear mother died, i promised her faithfully that I would take care of you. So, I am not going to abandon you now. If you are going to live with your uncle, in the rigors of the countryside, then I shall be there with you."

" Thank you, Ms. Heliotrope." I smiled. She had always been there for me when I was sad, lonely, or afraid. We have our differences, but she was always the one to understand me.

"Anytime dear. Now let's go home, it's nearing time for me to retire.

—

Robin POV:

" Robin, how are we going to catch her, she's in the middle of the crowd?" Asked Blake, one of my men. Blake was my age, tall and dark, dirty blond hair, hazel/green eyes. He was one of my best friends- we've known eachother since we were little kids.

" I don't know Blake, why are there so many people here? Nobody likes the Merryweathers... Right?" Blake nodded. I was leaning on a pillar, watching as the funeral went on, when suddenly the Merryweather girl looked at me. I panicked. I couldn't just go back and hide behind the pillar again with her watching me! So i stared at her, she was kind of cute. She smiled at me, so did my signature smirk back at her. I was the king of smirking, I was simply the best at it. I was quite proud of this fact. The girl looked away when her annoying nanny called over. I've been watching the nanny, she must be the most posh, proper, annoying woman i have EVER seen. Blake pulled me behind the pillar, so I was out of sight.

"Robin! What are you doing?!l"

"Sorry, panicked."

"Did she see you?"

"Well..."

"Great job robin, now she'll recognise you when she see's you. " My mind sparked an idea.

"Oh no robin. You're smirking again ." Said Blake, rolling his eyes.

"She won't recognise me if we steal the pearls while she's asleep will she now, _Blakey_?"

"Fine you'be got me there. And Robin?"

"Yes?"

"DON'T CALL ME BLAKEY!"


	3. Chapter 3

Robin POV:

We were outside the girl's house when I called my men for a group huddle.

"Alright guys, we just have to get in, take the pearls, then get out."

"Robin, what if one of them wakes up?" asked Roman, another one of my men.

"You either hide or get out of there as fast as you can. We CANNOT be seen." If the girl or her nanny called those city police, we would be dead meat. I mean, it'a not like they could do anything to us, but I'd rather not take a chance.

"Come on, guys." I whispered as I led them towards the house. We climbed up a tree and snuck in through a window that lead into the Merryweather girl's bedroom. The room was... um... very girly. There were dolls, everywhere. Frankly, they scared me. A lot. The walls were pink, and her dresser was lined with lace and frills. I was looking in her jewelry box for the pearls when i heard one of my men whisper my name.

"Robin!" He says,

"Come help me!" I turn around and I see Nate, halfway through the window, stuck at his butt. Nate was slightly bigger than the rest of us. He wasn't fat, he just had a lot of muscle.

"Come here you idiot!" I laughed as I pulled him through.

"Thanks." He grumbled. I went back to the shelf with her jewelry box and looked through it again. Absolutely nothing. But then I saw something gleaming on her chest. I creeped over to her side and pulled the necklace from under the blanket. Just a locket. I sighed as i dropped it back on her neck. We searched in her room for another 5 minutes or so, when suddenly one of the floorboards creaked. It was the nanny coming to check on the girl.

"Everybody hide, NOW!" I whispered. We all ran around the room trying to find hiding places that would fit us, everything in this room was so small. Her nanny creaked the door open. I raced behind some pink frilly curtains.

"Maria my dear, did you say something?" The nanny asked. Maria only rolled over onto her side. Apparently she was a heavy sleeper.

"Hmmm m-must have been the w-wind..." The nanny rambled, sounding a little spooked. She rushed out of the room, her frills and ribbons flying behind her. As soon as she left I came out from my hiding place in the curtains. Man, those made me itch. It was all i could to refrain from scratching myself through those frilly curtains.

"Alright men, its not here." I whispered, " They've hidden the pearls. We need to leave, but we'll ambush them when they get to the gates that lead into Moonacre. Got it?" They nodded. I let everyone file out of the window before me, I want to get a good look at the princess. You know, just for good measure. When the last of my men jumped out of the window, I went and stood next to her bed. The girl was pretty, but not overwhelmingly beautiful. There was something about her that made me smile. She started to get restless, and she scrunched up her pale face.A tear rolled down her cheek. I realized she was having a nightmare. I sat beside her and stroked her arm, which seemed to comfort her a bit. I looked outside and saw the it gradually getting lighter outside. I kissed her cheek and ran out, meeting my men at the bottom of the building.

" Robin where were you?" Blake asked, " We've been waiting here forever!"

" Oh... erm... I was... uhh taking one last look for the pearls." I said sheepishly. I could NOT let the other boys know that I was comforting the princess. Blake nodded suspiciously, but the others seemed to buy it. I sighed. Time to go home, and tell father that he had failed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Maria POV:**

"Aghhhh" I groaned, I had woken up the the sun, shining straight into my eyes. Huh. Why was the sun shining in my eyes? I was almost that I had closed my beautiful, pink curtains last night. It's funny, because last night, I thought I saw that boy from the funeral race out my window. Maybe he could have... No. Never mind. I pushed the thought out of my mind as I got dressed. I changed into a bluish-grayish dress, with a square neckline and ribbons trailing down the front. It had full length sleeves that had a slight puff at the shoulder. I fishtail braided my hair, and finished packing my things. As soon as I was finished, I stepped back and took a good look at my now empty room. This was the room i had been living in for 14 years. I had cried here, laughed here, and had so many memories in here, and it was going to be very hard to leave. I just stood there for a few minutes, thinking of how I would miss this place and dreading the awful countryside. I took my locket out from under the top of my dress. Inside was a picture of my family. My mother, my father, and me. I kissed the picture and left the room, not daring to look back. I stepped outside , where there was a carriage waiting for me. As I said goodbye to the last of my servants, I heard a new voice.

" The name's Digweed, miss, at your service." He took a small bow. Finally, I heard Ms. Heliotrope mumbling about the countryside and tripping over things. It was time to leave my sweet home in London.

" My man?" Spluttered Ms. Heliotrope, " Quick!" She commanded. He just stood there for a moment but finally, he had processed in his mind what Ms. Heliotrope had said to him, and rushed to take her bag. She straightened herself herself up, before stumbling down the stairs and standing next to me. We linked arms.

" Shall we?" Ms. Heliotrope asked. We stepped into the worn down carriage. The inside looked pretty bad. The floor was scratched and scuffed, the seats were dusty, and the paint on the sides were peeling. Ms. Heliotrope had to dust off her seat before sitting in it. After an hour or so in the carriage, Ms. Heliotrope looked quite green. She let out a series of burps.

" Where are my charcoal tablets? All this is doing nothing for my indigestion. I'm an absolute martyr to my stomach." I mouthed her words as she said it.

" Ughh!" I groaned, "How could I possibly live in the country? It's full of... the country side." We both fell forward as the carriage went over a particularly large bump.

" Maria, there is only one thing that can save us now. Classical. French. Needlepoint." We said together as Ms. Heliotrope pulled our needles. The carriage stopped, and I heard Digweed humming as he got out.

" What's happening?" I asked, " have we arrived?" I asked. No answer came.

" Is he deaf or something? The man is OBVIOUSLY a half wit." Ms. Heliotrope commented. I giggled and looked out the window again, when someone grabbed my shoulders and tried to pull me up. I screamed and heard Ms. Heliotrope shrieking.

" Check the old one!" I heard my attacker yell. I remembered i was holding a needle and scratched the hand that was holding my shoulder.

" AGHHGHH!" He screamed. Obviously he hasn't expected that. I finally, Digweed found the right key to open the gate. We rode through, causing both of those BANDITS to fall off. The gate closed behind us, and when I turned back to blow them a mocking kiss, I saw the boy from the funeral! My jaw dropped mid-kiss , leaving me to look like a shocked fish.

" Who were they? What did they want?" I asked my shaking nanny.

" D-don't worry, my dear. Sir Benjamin w-will protect us, I'm sure of it."

**Robin POV:**

" So Robin," said Blake.

" Yes Blakey?" I teased, he hates when I call him that.

" I told you not to call me that!" He huffed. " Well anyways... What were you doing up in the girl's room?" He grinned.

" I already told you, I was just taking a last look around the room." I lied, looking away so he couldn't see me turning red.

" I think you mean taking one last look at the girl." He smirked, he's known me for so long, it's easy to tell when I'm lying.

" What girl?! I haven't seen any girls lately! But the real question is, have you seen any?" I panicked. At this point, Blake was doubled over laughing, while I was trying to subdue him so that no one would ask him what I said. Then everyone would know.

" Oh Robin, we'll work on you lying later." He patted my back and walked to the front of the group, still giggling like a sick, demented little school girl named Blakette who just figured out who her best friend, Robinda's secret crush was.(A/N: haha see what I did there?) I caught up to Blake, and pulled him behind the rest of the group.

" Blake if you tell anybody I swear I will kill you."

" Well Robin, thats not very nice" he said, mock crying.

" Blake please. If my father finds out he'll throw a fit. Remember what he did to Loveday? I'll be a traitor, he'll disown me." Blake sighed.

" Robin DeNoir. You have never been and never will be a traitor. It shouldn't matter that you like the your father calls you a traitor, you can disown him. That'll certainly put a twist on things. I'll even leave the castle with you, we can be hunters and bandits, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor!"

Blake said, putting a mock-heroic look on his face.

" Thanks Blake." I laughed.

" You know, to get close to Maria, you're going to have to spend some time with her." Blake whispered, we were closer to the other men. I stared at him with a blank face.

" Her name's Maria?!" I said, earning a slap upside the head from Blake. Finally, we reached the gate entrance. Our plan was to hide on the side of the road, jump the carriage, and pull out Maria. When the carriage came, me and Nate got ready to jump on the roof.

" What's happening?" A voice asked, " Have we arrived?"

" Is he deaf or something? The man's obviously a half-wit." And older voice said. I made eye contact with nate and counted down with my fingers. Three. Two. One. We jumped. I grabbed Maria's shoulders as he was sticking her head out the window.

" Check the old one!" I called to Nate who was being whacked with an umbrella by the nanny. Everything went as planned... For the first few seconds. What I didn't expect was that Maria had a weapon of death and destruction with her. She scratched my hand with her needle,and sent me clutching my hand and screaming . Nate wasn't doing much better. It appeared that he had been knocked out by the umbrella. The carriage drove away, and I tumbled off the top. I screamed in pain and frustration. Blake came from out of his hiding place.

" Tisk Tisk, Robin. Beaten up by your girlfriend. That's a first." He chuckled as he helped me up.

" Shut up, you idiot." I steamed.

" That hurts Robin, it really does." Blake laughed.

** A/N **

**Sorry guys, there will be more robin-Maria fluff next chappie:) i didnt know what to write, so its a little boring:/ please review! Suggestions welcome:)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Maria POV:**

We arrived at Moonacre Manor shortly after we had been jumped by those stupid bandits. You could tell that the place had once been beautiful, but now it was in a state of disrepair. The once-white paint was peeling, the flowers wilted, and the grass was tall and dead. I wonder why Sir Benjamin would let his home get to this state? We walked up to the front door and found a dark silhouette waiting for us.

" Welcome to Moonacre." He said with a hint of sadness and grief in his deep voice.

" Unfortunate circumstances. There we are. Nothing to be done." I stepped forward to greet him.

" I'm pleased to meet you, Uncle." But he did not answer. Instead, he ignored me and turned to Ms. Heliotrope.

" Good afternoon Ms. Helio-"

" OH Sir Benjamin!" She shrieked, " W-what a journey we've had! Not an hour ago we were accosted, by a band of r-r-ruffians, and-"

" Madam please, " he interrupted, quite rudely may I add. " I' ll hear your fascinating story some other time, if I may." And with that, he walked briskly away. We followed him into an empty room, with only an armchair, a small table with some whiskey, and-

" AHHH!" Screamed Ms. Heliotrope, staring at a very large, black dog with horror.

" This," Sir Benjamin said, " is Wrolf. There are those who find him alarming. He can kill in an instant. But you're a Merryweather. He very probably won't hurt you. With that he left the room, leaving me rolling my eyes at Ms. Heliotrope, who was sticking to the wall, tiptoeing to the other side of the room. We went up the stairs to Ms. Heliotrope's room.

" Come, Maria. I'm sure your room will be next to mine." She looked at Sir. Benjamin expectantly.

" No, Maria's room is up in the tower." He stated. I started to protest

" But Uncle, my room has been next to hers since I was a baby!"

" Perhaps you'd like to inspect you're room first, before you turn your nose up at it." We walked up to the highest tower in the manor.

We stopped in what I'm sure was the dustiest room in all of England. When I turned around again, he was gone. There was a door, in the center of the room, it was so small that only someone my size could fit into it.i stepped thought the tiny door and found the most amazing room ever. The ceiling was painted like the sky, and the walls were painted like waves crashing onto a beach. I crashed onto my luxurious bed, the next thing I knew it was morning. I found a plate of gingerbread cookies and a glass of milk waiting for me on my side stand. It was delicious, still warm. I wonder who made these? Uncle must be nicer than I thought. I quickly dressed and got ready. Before i left i grabbed The Chronicles of Moonacre, just incase I want to read a little.

" Morning Uncle." I said as I passed him. He looked tired, probably from listening to Ms. Heliotrope snore all night.

" Good morning Maria." He stopped dead in his tracks.

" What, " he said icily gesturing to my book "is that?"

" Oh... It's the Chronicles of Moonacre. Papa left it to me."

" Well he had no right to. This belongs here." He said.

" Uncle! Thats mine! You can't just, just take it!" I screamed. That was the only thing my father left me, and my "Uncle" had taken it. I ran into the dining room to Ms. Heliotrope.

" Tell him! Tell him he can't just take my book! It's not fair!"

" Maria!" She said, shocked. "Where's your self restraint? Sit down. This porridge is phenomenal!"

" But I-" she gave me a warning look. I sighed and sat down. I glared at Sir. Benjamin as he came in and cracked an egg into a disgusting looking drink

" Maria you simply must try these eggs, they are delightful!"

" Yes, a dish best enjoyed in silence im told."

" Oh... Yes. Mhm." Ms. Heliotrope stuttered.

" Uncle you ought to return my book to me." He ignored me and drank his... Er... Liquid thing.

" Well you certainly have a very good cook sir Benjamin. Have you had her long?"

" Madam, no woman has set foot in this house for years, and believe me, the silence was blissful."

" We'll I must say, this country food is doing wonders for my trapped wind-" Sir Benjamin slammed his cup down on the table.

" Gad's teeth can't a man enjoy a meal in his own home in silence?!" That's when Ms. Heliotrope got his message and shut up.

" Do tell, Uncle. Why did you invite such annoying, irritating females into your nice, _quiet_ home?" I said, a bit sarcastically.

" My useless brother dies in debt, and it falls on me to take you in. He was a cowardly good-for-nothing."

" Sir Benjamin!" Ms. Heliotrope scolded. That made me mad. He can't just take my father's book then insult him like that!

" HOW DARE YOU!" I screamed, " MY FATHER WAS A COLONEL!"

" Yes! And he died in debt owing to half the regiment!" That. Was. It. I ran out of the room, out of the manor, into the forest, sobbing. I ran and ran through the forest, until I found a boulder looking out over the whole valley. I climb on top of it and cried. I cried about my father, my mother, the stupid countryside. Everything that ever frustrated me, I cried about. Finally, I calmed down. I opened up my locket and stared at the picture. I had stared at it for about five minutes when a voice interrupted my thoughts.

" I know how it feels." I looked to my left and saw the boy, the one from the funeral. I tried to stand up and rush away, but he took my hand.

" I swear I wont hurt you." He said, " I only want to talk" I pulled my hand from his and started to walk away.

" Please." He said, with pain in his voice. I couldn't say no to that. I sighed and sat back down next to him. After we just sat there for a couple minutes, it started to get awkward.

" So... Umm... Did you want to tell me something or...?" I asked quietly.

" Well.. Er... I just wanted to say that I know how it feels. Losing parents. It feels like a big part of you is lost." He took out a picture of what must have been him when he was young, his mother, and maybe his sister.

" Who's that?" I asked, pointing to the girl in the photograph.

" That's my sister, Loveday. My father disowned her after... Never mind." He said sadly. Not wanting to pry, I asked a different question.

" Why isn't your father in this picture?"

" I lost him." He hung his head low. " Well, sort of. He's still alive, just...not..." He sighed heavily. " he blames me for my mum's death. And it's true. I killed her." He threw a rock over the edge. "If it wasn't for me, she would still be alive." I put my hand on his shoulder awkwardly. Suddenly my life didn't seem so still felt strange trying to comfort someone who had tried to rob me.

" If it makes you feel any better, my mum died in childbirth too."

" And why would that make me feel better?"

" I don't know, sorry, I'm not very good at this."

" That's alright." He chuckled.

" I don't know very much about my mother either. No one really talked about her. I don't even know her maiden name. I've spent my whole life trying to find out who she was, but I haven't found anything. Isn't that strange?"

" Ya that is weird" he replied. The sun was starting to set.

" Shouldn't you be getting home?Your family's probably worried sick." He asked.

" I guess... Alright I'll get going. Bye- I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

" That's because I never dropped it."

" Dropped what?" I asked, confused

" You said 'I didn't catch your name' so I said 'I never dropped...' Ok my name's Robin and I'll just shut up now.

" Well alright Robin, my name's Maria. Thanks for talking to me. Bye!"

**Robin POV:**

" I already know your name." I whispered as she left. I walked back into the forest thinking how I made a fool of myself, I thought I was being clever, but I knew I sounded stupid. Soon, I heard the familiar chortle of Blake's laugh.

"Real smooth Robin" he laughed

" Blake tell me why every time I do something stupid you _always_ happen to see it?"

" It's my good luck. And anyways your lucky it was me and not one of the other guys."

" I wouldn't say I'm _lucky_ you saw that."

"Listen Robin. You're taking the wrong approach with Maria. You can't be all sensitive." Blake advised.

" So what you're saying is, I should be a cold-hearted jerk, like you?"

" One, I'm saying you should clever, manly, and a little bit cocky. Chicks dig bad boys." He said, dead serious.

" Two, I am NOT a cold hearted jerk."

" Fine, I'll try it. But on one condition."

" And what's that?"

" You solemnly swear that you are most definately and positively...

A cold-hearted jerk."

" Fine. But only because I'm such a good friend." He took a big breath, " I solemnly swear that you are most definately and positively a cold-hearted jerk."

" Blake!"

" Hey, I did what you told me to."

**A/N:**

**Hey guys sorry its been so long:( I just came back from a camping AND New York. So anyways, i think this story needs a plot besides the pearls. Or maybe just twisting up the pearl thing. I love the moon pearls and everything, but most people already know that story. So PLEASE give me suggestions and ideas. Thanks:)**


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